Exciting opportunity - Isolation creative project - for ALL!

To everyone,

This creative project is illustrating a moment in time, the Covid-19 pandemic. The global crisis is one of the most challenging events in modern history: an ‘invisible’ war that does not discriminate against its victims, where key workers bravely risk their lives and where people worldwide have had to dramatically adapt and change to a life staying at home, to protect and save lives.

Even in the face of extreme adversity, we are witnessing positives everyday - things that are lifting spirits, things that make people smile and building new habits that forced down-time creates … whilst the world stands still, we are seeing how much the world cares. With the strict social-distancing rules, these small acts bring people together more than ever – waving from our window sills, clapping and cheering for the brave, checking in on people, caring about our most vulnerable, random acts of kindness, inspirational videos, artwork created, songs sung, poems written – all of which create a ‘virus of hope’ to overwhelm COVID-19. In years to come, it is hoped that these habits will remain in the hearts of many.

Cathartic wants to capture the hope of these unprecedented times and curate an illustrated creative record of our time of social distancing and isolation. Hope is the key –

Hold

On

Pain

Ends

We feel the power of creativity is vital in keeping spirits high and want this to be a fully inclusive opportunity … people of ALL ages, from toddlers to pensioners, from ANY ethnicity, ANY gender, ANY ability, ANY profession, from ANYWHERE to take part! We want this to be a cathartic opportunity to find some light in such testing times…we have already seen some fantastic paintings, drawings, videos, photography and if you would like to be part of a published time capsule, please get involved…

A book will be published with submissions and all profits will go to charities affected by COVID-19.

There will be an online exhibition of the submissions, to spread positivity to all in these trying times.

Finally, once it is safe to do so, we will be launching a public exhibition of work: a celebration of efforts, a dedication to the hard work of the key workers and an uplift to community spirit.

We encourage you to explore your creativity and produce anything you would like - drawings, paintings, poems, letter writing, photography, acronyms, 3-Dimensional creations, videos, greeting cards, stories to share, song writing, diary entries, messages of support or hope…

We have come up with a list below of different ‘themes’ and ideas – please pick as many as you like and you can submit as many different pieces…Please share this project to your wider communities and let’s see what we can create together…

Please submit your artwork to artwork@catharticcic.comas an image, scan or video file. When submitting, please include your name, age and, if you would like to, include a title i.e. ‘student, your job role, any conditions you are living with etc’ then please submit this with your entry.

We are SO excited to start this and thank you in advance for your wonderful, amazing and unique creativity… Stay safe and sending you all the warmest wishes x

Nicky Day and Maria Todesco – Directors, Cathartic C.I.C.

Themes for the project - Please note that these are suggestions and ideas for artwork, however, you DON’T have to pick from the suggestions, themes can be represented in any way you would like to!

Dear Diary – a single diary entry about a certain day, or a series of entries. Entries can be illustrated, a schedule, in comic book form or simply written out for people to read!

Family, Friends, Pets – how are you coping in lockdown with close family members? Do you have family members who you can’t see? How are you keeping in touch with your friends? Are your pets happy that you’re able to spend more time with them? You can paint or draw a portrait of someone you miss, a poem about your family and friends during lockdown, a drawing / painting of yourself for your loved ones to see in isolation!

Something you’ve gained - What have you started doing that you have not done before the pandemic? You could show us in a visual drawing, painting, photograph, poem, song or video etc!

NHS and Key workers – the amazing work they are doing, sacrifices they are making, our appreciation – send us a video of clapping on the doorstep each week, illustrate messages of support, positive affirmations, photography...

Support - As a nation as well as worldwide, we must support the best way we can... what ways have you shown support? You could write a perfect recipe for supporting others during lockdown, a poem about how support is being demonstrated, a drawing / painting of support being shown, a picture of support to put into shop windows, a collage of images of support across the country...

Rainbow in your window - The rainbow has become a symbol of hope – these are posted in our windows for people passing by to feel encouragement, love and support – let’s see them! Maybe you could send us your rainbow poster, or a photograph of the rainbow in your window, an acronym for rainbow or a piece of writing about what a rainbow means for you.

The Media – TV, radio, internet, newspapers ... how the information has been reported - make a collage of photographs, create your own news report, write your own article, illustrate powerful messages, portrait of the Queen or Boris Johnson giving their speeches.

How you’ve changed -Life is very different from before and the chances are is that it has changed us all in one way or another – we would love to hear how...you could design a poster, a drawing / painting of the thing that has changed about you.

Isolation and imaginary friends - Can you create a design of an imaginary friend that helps you through this time of change – what superpowers does she or he have? How do they help people throughout this time?

Courage - acts of bravery to be recognised and your personal courage in coping with this – we want to hear stories of courage, written down, with a photograph, drawn, painted or a poem about courage...

Real life Superheroes – Tell us or show us who your superhero is at this time and why...you can draw, photograph, paint or make a model of your real-life superhero!

Love – What does love mean to you during the pandemic? Who do you love? What is it about this lockdown that you are loving?

Positivity - create anything to help us see the positives during the pandemic!

Camaraderie - show us how we have all pulled together – maybe illustrate some examples of camaraderie, maybe send some photographs, maybe create a message to the rest of the UK, maybe write your own song lyrics?

Isolation - has this been a positive/negative time or a mix of both? What has your isolation felt like? What have the challenges been? What highlights have you had? Show these in any form...maybe it’s one word that sums it up, maybe it’s a poem, maybe a letter to the outside?

Around the world - it is affecting everyone globally and lots of us have loved ones in different countries who we are concerned about and who we communicate with – Do you have a message to them? Do you have a piece of artwork you want to create especially for them? Maybe it is a collage of people coping in other countries?

What will we remember from this? This is one for your own interpretation...

Special moments - What moments, no matter how big or small, have made the hairs on your arms raise and put a huge smile on your face? Photographs of the children home-schooling, babies born during the pandemic, waves from the window sills...

Adapting- how we have had to adapt to the different instructions, how our routines have changed, how we have had to change our way of life.

Sacrifice - Sacrifices have been made by everyone...what is your biggest sacrifice?